BANGALORE,
FEB. 12.
A helicopter on a training sortie crash-landed on the runway of the HAL Airport here this afternoon immediately after take off, injuring an instructor and a trainee.

According to police sources, the helicopter crashed from a height of about 10 feet at 2.30 p.m. Though the helicopter suffered extensive damage, the Flying Instructor, K.R. Sashikumar, and the trainee, Niranjan, escaped with minor injuries. They have been hospitalised.

The helicopter was being used by the HAL Rotary Wing Academy, the sources said. It crash-landed on its belly. The sources said it did not catch fire as initial reports said. The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation has been asked to inquire into the cause of the accident.

The police said the helicopter was immediately removed from the runway. Air Traffic Control refused to say whether the crash delayed the landing or take-off of other flights.